The Sea of Starry Night [closed]

[Muzzleflash]

Naked Human

The pale man grunts and mumbles.

"Mmmpghrmble.. I don' wanna go to s'hool..

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid
The lizardkin had been edged aside by the others who reacted to the newly appeared humans. The shock of the event stunning him.
But remembering the abduction of the gnome, the attack by the spiders and the shame and guilt they were responsible for he snarls, baring his teeth and walks over to the tied captives. He lifts the two each with a vise-like clamp on their throat.

"DEAD, MY PACKMATE LIESS. YOUR MAGIC NOT TRICKss ME. sSPEAK sSCUM AND sSPEAK TRUTH"

The hot breath washes across their faces and spittle drips as he speaks. The conscious human is treated to the sight of sharp teeth a few inches from his face.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Naked Human

As he was lifted up by his throat. the naked human thrashed and squirmed in his clawed grip. He didn't much get a chance to see the teeth being bared at him because his eyes began to roll back up into his head. Breathing came labored but still he managed to struggle out past the clawed hand at his throat. Panic was evident in his tone but also deep anger.
"I-I didn't lie! My magick's can't...change peoples forms! It only deals with Egggh! LET GO OF MY THROAT OR I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I CAN DO! I CAN't breath..

[The_King_of_Durf]

"Lissa, be careful with what you're saying. They could've killed you... and their human forms may still be evil." Darius takes a step back as the lizardman grabs their throats.

"You're threats are idle... you're tied up, and there are ten of us, and only two of us. At least tell us who you are, for a start."

Don't get carried away again... remember what happned last time. You knew you had to kill him, it was you or him. These two are no different. Don't hesitate to kill them over a threat. But look at what you're saying! They could be good people. You know, he claimed to be a good person as well... and you paid the price for that. Both of you did. But this... this is insane. In the Underdark, that's the only way you can survive... This is foul... I'd become even worse than him. It's too late for that... you're responible for everything, and I am the only way you can survive. Don't take out your bow! There's nothing you can do! Don't! Don't take out your bow! Take it... if they make a false move, kill them. There is no other option...

Sheating his sword, Darius draws his bow, notching an arrow and pointing it at the throat of the man. He waits for their next actions.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Naked Human

"Ack! It wasn't a threat, my magicks can't kill...err I think. A-and our names..are..Callos and....Djital!" Slowly but surely his face was starting to turn blue and he began to wiggle and squirm in the lizardman's arms.

[Phasm]

"Don't think for a moment that I've forgotten what the driders did to me, Darius! You try going through something like that and see how fast you forget! I fully expect to have nightmares every night for the next month!" Lissa glares up at the archer, tossing her braid over her shoulder. "But haven't you learned anything down here? Good gods, Trinark's a drow, and he went after that undead drow thing with everyone else! If he hadn't wanted to help, all he'd have had to do was pretend to be paralyzed the whole time by whatever fear spell that demon-spawn cast on us. Has it occurred to you to give these two the same chance we did Trinark? Or do you keep your brains in your bow, and they're so hot you can't think?", Lissa taunts. Spinning on her heel, she turns to Ssathiya... then to her other comrades.

"Um, some help over here please? The resident druid has gone mad, and needs a bit of restraining before he kills these two folks. I'm sure you don't really want to kill them, druid... they need to breathe, why don't you let them go now... or at least loosen your grip?" Lissa swallows nervously as she eyes the enraged Ssathiya, but she doesn't back away.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Elthan II

Well, I still don't have any explination as to what happened, or at least not one I can entirly see. Better stop lizard before he kills them.
*Elthan walks up to the druid and sets his hand on his shoulder.*

"Lizard, if you believe killing them will bring anything to you, then by all means kill them. Just know that killing two bound men isn't going to help bring back anyone who died fighting with us.

[Muzzleflash]

Naked Human


The pale man snaps fully awake at Elthan's words, and starts talking at a fast pace.

"Whoa, whoa, HEY! Take that back! What if he does kill us?! Why the hell would you want us dead? I see a drow among you, and this lizard-man, and if you guys find them to be good companions then what's wrong with us?"

He catches his breath for a moment then goes on.

"I'll tell you our story if you wish. You'll find that we might be useful if you happen to still have a survival instinct or an inclination to finish your days under the sun and the real stars!

Looking around, he bites his lip, looking at the teeth on the lizard.

Yeeeesh that guy could put a hurt on someone.. now how the hell do I get on his good side...

"Whatever you people are here for, I will help you work toward until the end. I owe you my life, because even though my memories of the past years are slipping away like a dream.. I know what you saved me from.

"Encourage the Lizard-man to back down, and that we will be working with you. If he would like an analogy, I hate Drow. I consider them treacherous scum, and bad ta- to, to associate with. But, as you are accepting this one, so will I."

Looking directly to the Lizard-fellow,

"I would like to join your pack. Who is your enemy? What has brought you so far from your homeland?"

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid
The scaled one loosens his grasp on the blue pinkskin and shakes him awake. His grip ready to tighten at the first sign of danger.

His face doesn not betray any effect the gnome's pleas might have had on him.
"I am not witless. It is not for the sake of the dead, but for the ssake of the sstill- living, I do not spare these two. These two have plagued us and we number less. How many more traps must lose packmates to. Have you forgotten one who risked his life to save you, wizard?"

When the pale pinkskin offers himself as the only chance of return to the sunlight, his thoughts turn to sheyra who sat weeping behind and his tribe. His snarl diminshes briefly until he made the mistake of mentioning 'joining' the pack. His eyes flare open at the audacity of the aberration turned pinkskin who now hoped to be...a packmate after ..the deaths of the others. In a fury he lifts him overhead and hurls him forward.

"You DARE?..." in a face contorted with rage.
He flings the other tied captive contemptuosly by the side and stalks to the groaning human he had just thrown.

[Muzzleflash]

"Ow! Yeeaaargh!

Talking very quickly as he struggles to gain his feet and hop or roll away,

"Get him away from me! I figured you'd let me help you get out of here out of gratitude for saving us but if you guys are all this crazy then I'm gonna take my chances out there! I can't help that people died but if you kill me you take away any chance of repaying my debt to them! I'd love to just wiggle my fingers *he provides appropriate motions if his hands are free* and bring someone back to life but it looks like I'd have to bear your fallen companion out of here on my back and sell my home to pay for his resurrection, and I CAN'T DO THAT IF I'M LIZARD CHOW!

He hops/rolls/moves behind Lissa for cover and continues the speech:

"We'll tell you all who we are, how we got here, and what happened to us, unless you'd rather gut us on the spot. THAT'll sure let us help avenge him or provide restitution!

[ooc: escape artist check please :D]

[Dr._Bob]

The pale man (formerly the claw drider) stares fearfully about him as he tries to keep Lissa between himself and the enraged lizardman.

Lissa notes that the man's right iris is blue, but his left iris is jet black.

This reminds her that the drider had managed to retrieve the chaos diamond before the transformation. How did the drider get the gem back from Lumpy?

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Achkby watches Darius and the Ss-character terrorize the former Driders through narrowed eyes.
They deserve even worse than this for what they did... and what they would have done.

"Lissa," Achkby says, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Just because their skin is pinker doesn't mean that their hearts are any lighter. It will take a lot more than merely their testimony here and now to convince me that they do not deserve death. They will have to show that their souls have also changed... and I hope there will never be any time when we need them to."

He smirks a bit, and says, louder, to the humans, "You think that just because you look like humans, we will accept you? You think that because we accept this Lizardfolk despite his race, we will accept you because of yours? HA! Far from it. The lizardfolk has proved himself through his actions many times before. All your actions suggest is that you want us DEAD! You want to be accepted now? You want us to pass judgement now?" He narrows his eyes even further. "Any judgement now will pronounce your death."

[Elmorwen]

Sheyra

Sheyra stands up, tears staining her face. She walks up to the lizardman, a determined look on her face. "I'd like to apologize in advance," she mumbles, then slams her right fist into the druid's jaw. "Don't EVER do that again!" she yells. Turning to the rest of the group, she continues. "I don't know any more about what's going on than the rest of you, but gods help me, if I catch ANY of you harming a helpless captive again I'll... I'll..." she trails off, obviously surprised at what weeks (months?) in the Underdark has done to her and the rest of her companions. She turns around and kicks a pebble off the bridge in frustration.

"It's perfectly alright to be cautious," she says, her voice barely over a whisper. "But one of our friends may be bleeding to death down there and all you can think of is how two naked, tied-up men might pose a threat?" She glares at nobody in particular. "Someone tie up a rope and I'll go look for Lumpy!" she cries, raising her voice again. "We don't all have to stay here and argue."

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Achkby spins, startled by Sheyra's violent grief, and says softly, "Aeroz and Fizahn are on it... they'll be taking care of it... Aeroz has even gone down after him. We're all very eager to get him back."

He smirks a bit again. "Though they shouldn't be," he adds, motioning to the captive men.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos, Prisoner and Potential Lizard Chow

Seeing his friend being tossed away by the lizardman the lanky man sat up and struggled to stand, all the while hissing through his teeth.

"Savage! I expected better of someone in contact with the Weave! Any magic user knows of spells to force people to abide by anothers wishes. And more importantly of spells that changes peoples forms and outlook! For shame on you! You speak of judgement halfling but you neither give us the chance to explain or prove that, maybe just maybe, WE AREN'T EVIL! The only ones who even seems like they even came from the surface are the gnome, that girl, and the archer! At least he gives us a chance to explain what happened! Ever think the drow was going to do to you what she did to us?"
Throughout the entire diatribe the man had managed, finally, to pull himself to his feet though he wobbled unsteadily. When Sheyra socked the lizardman the man looked at her gratefully even attempting a small bow though it nearly made him fall over again.

(OOC: edit: Dang it. This took to long to type and Sheyra and Ackby posted while I was typing.)

[Dr._Bob]

Aeroz floats downward cautiously, wary in case there are any monstrous spiders lurking beneath the bridges.

As he surveys the sharp rocks below, he sees no signs of the half-orc. Aeroz makes quick circles underneath the bridges until he is sure that there are no bodies shattered on the rocks below.

Puzzled, Aeroz is about to fly back up toward the others when a flicker of movement catches his sharp elven eyes ...

Dangling from below one of the bridges is a body, cocooned in spider silk. Flying closer, Aeroz recognizes the body as Lumpy. Lumpy is alive, but unconscious. The contents of his backpack and Lissa's are strewn about, entangled in the sticky webbing.

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Achkby smiles at the vehement man in a sort of sideways manner, and then says in an oddly polite tone, "Unfortunately for you, there is nothing that you can do here and now to convince or prove to me your innocence. I have not suggested that we judge you now. If you urge me to, though, I would advocate for your death. " He shrugs, then adds, "Though I would certainly like to hear your version of what has been going on in this accursed realm."

[Phasm]

Impulsively, Lissa hugs Sheyra's leg. "Thank you, Sheyra! I've been wanting to do that, but I'm just not strong enough. Or tall enough to reach those shaeli vuk skulls."

Turning to Achkby, she jerks her shoulder away from him. The expression on her face is, to put it mildly, upset. "Stop that! Gods, Achkby, I thought better of you than this. And you too, Darius! These two are bound prisoners. I don't give a harpy's hangnail what they were ten minutes ago, if they're bound and helpless you're no better than a kobold if you kill them! I've got as much right as anyone here to want revenge, and I do want it, but I'm not taking it on a man who's tied up naked!" Lissa is breathing hard, anger evident in her body language and face, but her arms are folded across her chest. Not anywhere near her rapier...


(OOC: For Fizahn and anyone else who's taken Gnomish, 'shael vuk' is a Gnomish insult that basically means 'empty'. I added an 'i' to indicate a plural. Yay Races of Stone!)

[runehawk]

Lizardfolk Druid
The lizardkin had stalked over just as the pale man had finished talking and put a scaly foot on his neck when he is surprised by a sheyra who punches him. He is awed by the strength the hatchling commanded but does not show it. He merely makes reptilian clicking sounds of agitation in his throat and breathes faster with flaring nostrils. He does not respond to her words.

Why do pinkskins agitate over rough handling of an enemy even if he is binded?
A brief but stray thought runs thruogh him.

At mention of the fallen orckin, he looks to where he had last seen Lumpy before he fell. It only serves to renew the animosity he glares at the human with.

The other captive's angry words do not make sense to him.

Weave? What is it raving about?

Achby's words are unfamiliar to him but he understands that he wishes to know how they came to be here and that he has no interest in trusting them. Something tells him that the orckin is still alive but barely. He unslings his backpack in readines to aid him but never takes the foot of the pale man.

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

"Lissa," says Achkby earnestly, 'This has nothing to do with whether or not the are bound. I don't like beheading helpless enemies either. All we insist is that we cannot accept them until we know what that they will not try and kill us. Ten minutes ago, they were trying to kill us. They may not be any more, but I'm not convinced yet, so I'm not taking any chances. I'm just looking our for my safety. Your safety. All of our safety. We can't let the creatures who killed Thokk just walk next to us as if they're two more people we met in a bar! This is the [i]Underdark[/b], Lissa!"

[OOC]I'm sort of enjoying myself at this. Are you going to tell me about not compromising my morals now?[/OOC]

[Phasm]

Lissa throws her hands up in the air. "Arrrgh! When did I ever suggest unbinding them completely? I didn't! And the driders didn't kill Thokk, that accursed undead thing did. She's got what she deserves." She puts her hands back on her hips, glaring at Achkby. "Do I look stupid to you? Huh? Do I? I know this is the Underdark, stone-brains! Dark, full of caves, damp, lots of drow and freaky giant bugs... yeah, looks like the Underdark to me." The gnome rolls her eyes. "And I don't need anyone to take care of me! You hear that? Anyone! You should have just let me die! I was the reason Thokk and Lumpy were killed!" By now, Lissa is screaming, tears running freely down her face. She turns and runs off (well, jogs... the spider poison has evidently weakened her so much that she can't run very fast) some distance down the bridge, away from the rest of the party. Hysterical sobbing echoes through the cavern.


OOC: Actually, HempRope, I'm totally enjoying this. ;D Oh, teh drama! And even more coming when Lumpy is brought up alive!

[The_King_of_Durf]

Darius

"Achkby... you don't need me to tell you to go after her. I'll stay here and guard these two." Darius says with a knowing look.

[Muzzleflash]

Naked Human

The man shakes his head. "Now look what you've done. Why can't you just listen to the lass? I can tell you that while my.. I guess you could call them 'memories'.. are hazy, I can remember some of what happened, and neither of us killed any of you. You have to understand- what we were, wasn't us."

He breathes slower, and there is a chill to his voice. "Have you ever felt the tiniest impulse in the back of your mind? Just a nudge, just a thought, passing and fleeting? That's what I was reduced to. A little dot in the middle of a swirling sea of chaos and dark malice, locked from my own mind, exiled from my natural body. Imagine that for a prison."

Sighing, he glances toward the departing Gnome.

Looks like I'm running out of advocates.. and ideas.

"I'd have expected more interest in how we got here, or subject to such a dark enchantment. Since our life is in your hands, shall we share stories? Yours, and ours.. and especially, most especially, I would like to know who destroyed.. it."

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid
As Lissa limps off, he gives Ackhby a strange look with a raised right brow before tilting his head and poiting at her with his chin in a 'go after her manner'.

Mating rituals..sigh......Praise Semuanya.All I have to do is hunt a dead wizard deep in the earth!

He presses his foot in when the prone man starts to speak but releases his pressure as the last words wheeze out. He notes the uncomplementary eye colours but does not find it to mean anything.

"Dark magic made you unnatural? Made you forget?"
He snorts in response, not hiding his disbelief.
"Perhaps Dark magic trick the sight now? Make you look human, stay same inside? You NOT smell human"
To the others,
"We cannot leave them behind unharmed. They have raided uss many timess.If we do not kill them, we sseek danger and I not sshare my rations withthese. Our hands be full with bodie of our packmates as well"

[Muzzleflash]

Naked Human

"What?! Of course we smell human!" He sniffs, trying to judge his oder. "A bath might make that more clear.. Don't you fellows have someone familiar with the arts of magic? Maybe pray for a divine sign that shows you whether to trust us, even? I would be just as suspicious in your position- more so, but I would still give someone a chance.

[Yoric_Steele]

Trinark, Drow Companion

Trinark, who had been purposely silent up to this point, speaks up in Elven:

"You can't seriously be thinking of taking these two along? They have been permanently tainted from their prior transformation. I think it best to leave them bound here, and let the spiders feast on them after we are gone. If any of you are foolish enough to trust them, even a little, then you are beyond help."

After that, Trinark is silent. He moves to each group member to examine their wounds and see if they need attention. He is constantly gripping and cradling his newfound longsword very protectively.

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Achkby glares sullenly at the Drider-men and then turns away, thinking for a moment.
Why does she think just because they have two legs, they are safe and kind? I thought she could tell there was more to people than their race. I thought, that since she was willing to wander the Underdark with a Lizardkin and a Drow, she didn't care what color people's skin is, or even if they have scales instead. Why can't she see that being so close to the dragons is not a sign of evil, but of strength?
...Maybe it's just pity that clouds her judgement... maybe it's the pressure of being in the dark for so long... it's taken its toll on others...
But still! That is no reason to suddenly trust those that have been out for your blood...

Maybe the others are right... I do need to go talk to her.

"Now look what you've done!" he spits at the captives, and then strides off down the bridge after the infuriating gnome.

He stops just behind here.
Here we go....
"Lissa..."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Naked Human

Wobbling on his feet, he tried to make his way over to where the lizardman was and failed. Sprawling over unto his face he rolled over and began to speak slowly.

"You say we might be the same on the inside? Well do any of you remember what drider ichor looks like? If so I'm more then willing to take a slice on the arm to prove that at least I'm human. Besides, while we were driders not once did we stick around for a fatal blow. We attacked, yes I'll admit that, but the worst we did was kidnap the gnome. And whose bones do you think are down there? Do you think we came here by ourselves? Our friends and allies rot in that pit because of the drow witch! Listen...this probaly isn't the best time to argue about this and I'm more then willing to make a deal. We, Djital and I, help you get out of the Underdark. I'm sure if he and I try hard enough we can remember how we got down here. Not only that but if I can get my hands on my spellbook I can make it much easier to avoid enemies. And I'm sure Djital would be delighted to act as your scout if you let us help you, right Djital?"

The mans face had finally gotten serious and he looked up at the tall lizardman from his spot on the ground. Going still he looked to Djital for confirmation.

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz, Elf Fighter/Rogue

Realizing that he has very little time left with the potion, Aeroz gathers up Lissa's stuff and ties the rope around Lumpy's cocoon. He tries to drag lift Lumpy up. Once he does.

"Hey guys, I found Lumpy and...who in the hells are these people?" Aeroz remarks, pointing to the naked men.

[Elmorwen]

Sheyra

Sheyra sighs when Lissa runs away. "I'm not suggesting we trust these two. But we didn't kill Trinark even though we had no reason to trust him, so why should these two be any different? It has nothing to do with race. It's just that they may very well have had no idea what they were doing. And until we can prove otherwise, it would be a crime against all intelligent creatures to kill them." She turns to the man who metioned a spellbook. "Perhaps we should give our captives a chance to try and remember exactly what happened. And maybe one of the Elthans knows of a spell that could make them do this."